Woods announced his return plans on Facebook, admitting that he will be "a bit rusty.''

"It's a great thing for golf he's back," said Bubba Watson, after finishing his second round at the Travelers Championship. "When he plays his best, tournaments get excited."

Watson won't be part of the field next week, opting for a week off, but said he would tune in to see Woods on the course.

Jason Day knows how difficult it is to return from an injury, having dealt with a bad thumb this season that forced him to miss almost three months.

"It's a lot of patience," Day said. "Patience mixed in with frustration. ... I think the biggest thing with him is not to push it too hard. He's not 21 anymore, he's 38 or so. I pushed it a little coming back for Augusta and that put me back two to three weeks."

Day finished tied for 20th at The Masters before being forced to shut it down again. He returned two weeks before the U.S. Open at The Memorial Tournament and ended up tied for 37th. The chance to shake off the rust and compete two weeks before the Open seemed to help as Day ended up in a five-way tie for fourth place at Pinehurst No. 2.

"He needs to play competitive golf," Day said. "There's nothing like it. Social rounds at home with your buddies and practicing and all that other stuff is great, but there's nothing quite like playing against the best players in the world.

"He needs to be tournament ready before he goes into the British (Open). "